1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of vending machines and, more particularly, to a release mechanism used in dispensing articles from a vending machine.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Vending machines are widely used to store and dispense a large variety of beverages and other articles. In certain types of vending machines, an item to be dispensed is supported upon a sloping surface and, upon selecting the item for dispensing, a release mechanism is employed to direct the item towards a dispensing zone of the machine. FIG. 1 of the present application is a partial view of an exemplary, known vending machine 2 used in dispensing articles 4, such as beverage bottles. In general, vending machine 2 includes a refrigerated cabinet 8 provided with a door 12 which can be pivoted about hinges, one of which is shown at 15. Behind door 12 are arranged a plurality of vertically spaced shelves or trays 20 for supporting articles 4 behind an overall release mechanism 25.
Each release mechanism 25 includes at least one set of hinged plates, generally indicated in FIGS. 2 and 3 at 30. As shown, set 30 is composed of plates 34-37 which are pivotally connected by means of elongated hinge pins 45-50 to respective ones of a casing or frame 52, another plate 34-37 or one of a pair of spaced, slidable connectors 55, 56. Connectors 55 and 56 are guided for movement relative to frame 52 during a vending operation through a driving force applied to an extension 65 of hinge pin 47, while being biased to the position shown in FIG. 2 by means of a spring 70. In this figure, plates 34 and 35 project out of the page, while the remainder of plates 36 and 37, along with connectors 55 and 56, extend in a substantially common plane within which connectors 55 and 56 slide. During a dispensing operation, plates 36 and 37 are shifted into the common plane with the connectors 55 and 56, while plates 36 and 37 project out of the page as shown in FIG. 3.
As indicated above, the overall vending machine article dispensing arrangement described to this point is known in the art and is actually described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,905, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. However, FIGS. 2 and 3 also illustrate an additional feature used in known vending machines of this type. That is, the desire to enhance the dispensing of articles 4 has been recognized. To this end, it has been proposed to provide a pusher or kicker element in the form of a spring 75 as part of the overall release mechanism 25. More particularly, spring 75 has a first end portion 77 coiled about hinge pin 50, an intermediate portion 78 wrapped about hinge pin 49, and an angled, second end portion 80. When the release mechanism is in the article retention position of FIG. 2, second end portion 80 is essentially pressed against plate 36. As the release mechanism 25 is shifted to the article dispensing position of FIG. 3, spring 75 pivots about an axis defined by hinge pin 50 such that second end portion 80 moves away from frame 52. This motion functions to aid in dispensing an article 4, with second end portion 80 of spring 75 engaging and pushing the article 4 along a dispensing path.
Although this spring arrangement enhances the dispensing operation, there is limited contact between spring 75 and the respective article 4. In addition, since the distance between the second end portion 80 and hinge pin 49 is fixed, the ability of the kicker arrangement to force an article 4 along a dispensing path is quite limited. Furthermore, it has been found that this prior kicker arrangement does not lend itself for use with dispensing a very wide variety of articles that range in size and shape. Therefore, for at least these reasons, there exists a need for an improved dispensing system for a vending machine. More particularly, there exists a need for a release mechanism which will enhance the dispensing of articles from a vending machine.
The present invention is directed to a release mechanism for use in dispensing articles from a vending machine. More particularly, the release mechanism includes a set of hinged plates which are guided for movement relative to an overall frame between article retention and article dispensing positions, wherein at least one of the hinge plates includes a main plate member and a sub-plate member, with the sub-plate member being pivotable relative to the main plate member during a dispensing operation.
In use, the sub-plate member is initially arranged upon or within the confines of the main plate member such that the main plate and sub-plate members are generally arranged in a common plane. However, when an article is selected for dispensing, the sub-plate member is caused to pivot relative to the main plate member. In general, the sub-plate member projects forward of the main plate member. In any event, this relative pivoting enables the sub-plate member to engage the article to be dispensed and functions to force the article along a dispensing path. In this sense, the sub-plate member acts as a pusher or kicker element which enhances the overall dispensing operation.
The sub-plate member is interconnected to a pusher link which actually causes the sub-plate member to pivot when the set of hinged plates are shifted during a dispensing operation. In accordance with the most preferred embodiment of the invention, the sub-plate member is formed with a slot through which a first end of the pusher link extends. A second end of the pusher link is rotatably attached to a hinge pin associated with an adjacent hinge plate. With this arrangement, when the set of hinged plates are shifted during a dispensing operation, the first end of the pusher link will initially shift within the slot. When the end of the slot is reached, the pusher link will force the sub-plate member to pivot, relative to the main plate member, into the dispensing path. In this manner, the sub-plate member abuts an article to force the article to move along the dispensing path. In general, the overall configuration and operation of the release mechanism enables the dispensing of a wide range of articles in an efficient and effective manner.
Additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein like reference numerals referring to corresponding parts in the several views.